Posts Tagged ‘battery supercars’

The SLS Electric Drive will feature the same gullwing doors as the conventionally powered SLS Coupe.

For those who think that going green requires significant sacrifices – starting with that concept known as “fun-to-drive,” a stop at the Mercedes-Benz booth at the Paris Motor Show is clearly in order.

While the German maker isn’t the first to argue that battery cars can deliver reasonably good performance, it’s set to provide the new benchmark with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell. In fact, you’ll already be close to extra-legal speed in the time it would take to read that last sentence.

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This red-hot green machine, painted a high-gloss blue for its debut, can volt – make that bolt – from 0 to 100 kmh (62.5 mph) in just 3.9 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 250 kmh (155 mph). While that’s about 0.3 seconds slower than the conventional SLS Coupe the Mercedes battery supercar nonetheless now lays claims to being the world’s fastest production electric vehicle.

Li-ion is billing its new Inizio as the world's first battery-powered supercar.

Who says green can only mean clean. Li-ion Motors intends to add “mean” to that list with upcoming unveiling of the start-up maker’s battery-powered supercar, the Inizio.

One of the big winners in last year’s $10 million green car face-off, the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize, Li-ion has shifted gears with Inizio, which it claims can launch from 0 to 60 in just 3.4 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 170 mph – “without emissions,” the maker emphasizes.

While Tesla and some other specialty makers might debate Li-ion’s claim to be building the world’s first electric vehicle supercar, the Inizio clearly underscores several significant and converging trends in both the high-line and battery car automotive segments.

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Though high-line buyers might not have to worry as much as more mainstream customers when it comes to the price of fuel, there appears to be a significant amount of interest in alternative propulsion. Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Lotus are among the many well-known luxury brands exploring the use of battery power.

Bowing to strong public pressure, Jaguar has announced plans to put the well-received C-X75 supercar into production.

The striking 2-seater will use an extended-range electric drive system capable of running entirely on batteries – yet also able to launch from 0 to 60 in less than 3 seconds and reach speeds in excess of 200 mph. But the maker has opted to go for a relatively conventional gasoline “extender” engine, rather than the futuristic twin turbine system that drove the original C-X75 concept vehicle.

“People expect Jaguar to be innovators – that is when Jaguar is at its best,” said Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Brand Director, who only last month told TheDetroitBureau.com that the British maker was hesitant to make the investment in a new supercar while it was pushing to launch more mainstream products such as a new entry-level luxury car to replace its old X-Type.

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But it appears Jaguar simply was overwhelmed by public reaction to the concept, first shown at last autumn’s Paris Motor Show.

“The C-X75 received an incredible reception as a concept car,” said Hallmark. “We’ve been building on that momentum and there is a clear business case for this exclusive halo model. No other vehicle will better signify Jaguar’s renewed confidence and excellence in technological innovation than this.”

The battery-powered version of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar will reach dealers in 2013.

Who said battery cars are for geeks? Well, rich geeks, perhaps, because it will take a Silicon Valley entrepreneur to afford the battery-powered supercar Mercedes-Benz is formally introducing at this year’s Detroit Auto Show.

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell is not a Nissan Leaf. Like the conventionally-powered 2-seater, this is a car designed for those who put a premium on performance, but it will also offer the owner some green bragging rights.

“It’s our most exciting way of cutting emissions ever,” proclaimed Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and head of its Mercedes brand during a preview at the North American International Auto Show. “It’s like climbing out of an F4 Phantom jet and into an X-Wing fighter in Star Wars – except this is not science fiction.”

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Ignoring, for the moment, the neon lime green matte paint the prototype revealed at Cobo Center is visually very much in keeping with the gasoline-powered version of the Mercedes SLS, notably including the supercar’s striking gull-wing doors. There are only subtle revisions to improve the efficiency of what was already a highly aerodynamic body.

We’ve had a chance to get up close and personal with the new Jaguar C-X75, the battery-powered supercar making its surprise debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Here are some more photos and details.

As we earlier reported, the British maker claims the C-X75 will hit 205 mph. That’s a significant number for any automobile, and all the more so when you consider it has a surprising amount in common with the new Chevrolet Volt extended-range hybrid.

First, a few basics, like the fact that the C-X75′s four separate wheel motors produce a combined 770 horsepower and a blistering 1,180 lb-ft of torque, Jaguar claims the striking 2-seater will not only be capable of topping 200 mph, but launching from 0 to 100 kmh (0 to 62.5 mph) in just 3.4 seconds.